Each time one of his students goes off to college, Brad Young ’07 hangs a pennant of that school on a wall inside his Steel City Squash facility in Pittsburgh.
The tradition reflects his pride in seeing former players, some of whom enrolled in the student academy as fourth graders, continuing their education and squash careers.
Young, the Steel City executive director, cherished his time at Denison, calling it a “spectacular experience,” a place where he met lifelong friends and his future wife, Tracy Riggle ’07. While he always hoped an academy graduate would play for his alma mater, Young never pushed in that direction.
But after Michael MacDonald ’09 was named varsity men’s and women’s squash coach in 2022, Young began compiling names of players he thought could handle the academic rigors of Denison. He kept circling back to one name — Da’Nerah Chisholm ’29.
DaNerah Chisholm has gone from being coached by one Denison alum, Brad Young (first photo), to another in Big Red coach Michael MacDonald (with Chisholm in second photo). (Courtesy Steel City Squash)
When the Big Red traveled to Pittsburgh for a match several years ago, he casually introduced Chisholm to MacDonald and subtly supplied her with contacts on the admissions office. Even then, Chisholm had no clue Young was a Denison graduate or had been a teammate of MacDonald’s in the Big Red squash program.
“Da’Nerah was a standout student who fell in love with squash and we fell in love with her,” Young said. “She’s a really good player, but more importantly she’s an exceptional young person: very smart, hard working, and competitive. I thought she would be a great fit.”
Denison is a university with a student body and alumni that thrive on connections. It’s a vibrant network that helped lead Chisholm to The Hill and allowed Young to finally hang a Denison pennant on his wall inside Steel City Squash.
‘A holistic approach’
When Chisholm, a native of Wilmington, Delaware, moved to Pittsburgh to live with her aunt and uncle, she agreed to an ironclad rule of the house — extracurricular activities were mandatory. No sitting around after school playing video games.
With her cousins already playing squash, Chisholm gave the fast-paced racket sport a test spin. She was immediately hooked and joined Steel City in middle school.
A niche sport, many of her friends knew nothing about the game, but that didn’t deter Chisholm from playing. She loved the one-on-one competition, the thrill of winning. She also took a liking to Young, who founded Steel City in 2015.
“I appreciate his mindset, his actions, his goals,” Chisholm said. “He’s really helped me understand my true worth and what I want to pursue. He’s given me the opportunities and resources to get these things done.”
Steel City Squash is about more than banging hollow rubber balls against a wall. It’s one of more than 20 members of the Squash and Education Alliance (SEA), which provides after-school tutoring and college prep assistance. SEA members also offer scholarships, financial aid, and career readiness grants to its alumni.
“We’re focused on the child as a whole, not just squash,” Young said. “It’s a holistic approach to youth development.”
Young, who taught high school history, found his calling through another Denison connection. While earning his master’s degree at Columbia University, Young was encouraged by Sachin Obaid ’04 to work as a tutor at the StreetSquash program in Harlem. He was hired fulltime from 2011-14 before relocating his family to Pittsburgh to start Steel City Squash.
After spending years working out of classrooms and old squash courts at the University of Pittsburgh, Young raised $12 million to move the program into a new, 19,000-square-foot building a year ago. Steel City boasts more than 80 students with the goal of nearly doubling enrollment in the coming years.
Young cites his Denison education as a factor in taking the risk to develop a sport that remains more popular overseas than in the United States.
“The Denison environment encourages you to step out of your comfort zone,” Young said. “Maybe you make a mistake here or there along the way, but at Denison there’s always someone to help you right the ship. I think that’s unique to small liberal arts schools.”
‘He was definitely stoked’
As Chisholm began her college search, it was a Denison alum who pointed her toward Granville, Ohio. And, no, it wasn’t Young.
At an SEA-sanctioned summer tournament, she spoke with camp counselor Antoinette Ramsey ’25, who played for MacDonald at Denison.
“We have a very strong alumni network who encourages prospective students to check out Denison,” MacDonald said. “We had met Da’Nerah in Pittsburgh, and we followed her player rating over the years. Brad considered her a rising star, and we were happy she decided to take a visit.”
Chisholm didn’t feel a “spark” on her first tour of campus, but when she got home to Pittsburgh, she couldn’t stop thinking about Denison. As she weighed her options, Chisholm could tell Young was anxious to learn of her decision.
Brad Young was thrilled to add a Denison pennant to his wall at his Steel City Squash facility in Pittsburgh. (Courtesy Steel City Squash)
“He was definitely stoked when I told him it was Denison,” said Chisholm, who plans to major in chemistry.
Months into her Denison journey, Chisholm could not be happier with her decision. She’s enjoying her classes, making friends on the squash team, and adjusting to the college game.
MacDonald and Young remained in touch after graduation, but their relationship has grown stronger since Young founded the Pittsburgh program. Young believes Chisholm is future team captain material. MacDonald likes her outgoing personality.
Even as a first-year, Chisholm appreciates the value of Denison connections. She’s forever grateful for the coach who prepared her for this opportunity.
“We had our ups and downs, but Brad was someone I never wanted to disappoint,” Chisholm said. “He was the one person on that staff who was always looking out for my best interests. He’s a wonderful person. Just don’t tell him I said that.”
